432 Park will suffice.
It's an exclusive address.
A bit like Ramp Road really.
Seen here is a look at life in the US$95m penthouse at the top of the tallest condominium building in the Western hemisphere.
With stunning views over Manhattan.
Designed by architect Rafael Vinoly with interior styling by Deborah Berke, it's life at 1396 feet. Towering over the One World Trade Center without its spire at 1368 feet, the Empire State Building at 1250 feet and the Chrysler Building at a lowly 1046 feet.
It's life Jim, but not as we know it.
And that's ok...
Eeek, I would be afraid to live there for fear of breaking it!
ReplyDeleteIt may look good from here but when King Kong comes back there may be regrets!
ReplyDeleteWhat if the elevator breaks down?
ReplyDeleteA building that high. . . I bet it sways. It would rock you to sleep at night.
ReplyDeleteIt looks a little depressing - like a cold, lifeless cell in a city full of concrete and glass. Even the view is depressing - what could be attractive about all those buildings?
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'll review this one a bit more. It's very swanky and designy and mouthwateringly opulent and the quintessence of the high life. Some people think the New York skyline is an inspiring sight. In a pad like this, you're far above it all, on top of the world. I certainly wouldn't feel poor living in a place like that.
ReplyDeleteBut two things I don't like. First, I've never cared for that modernist style. It's cold and soulless. Who would ever feel comfortable sipping a cup of coffee anywhere near that spotless white carpet or sofa? It's about as heartwarming as an ice cave. The reproduction of Botticelli's Venus is not enough to enliven it. That and the classical bust just turn it into a private art mausoleum. It's a disembodied sort of opulence.
Second, there are the obvious socioeconomic implications. I don't believe you can have this kind of wealth for one or two people without corresponding poverty for a few hundred or maybe a few thousand families like those people living in their car in New Zealand. What kind of person will wind up living in this place? Probably someone dealing in derivatives or hedge funds or bundled debts - a Michael Milliken or Gordon Gekko type, or maybe a Mellon or Rockefeller or DuPont - someone with vast inherited wealth; someone who's learned to practice so little empathy that they can enjoy living in an ice cave art mausoleum at the implicit expense of who knows how many other people.
There are also sustainability issues, but I'll leave those to one side for now. This is a way of living designed to inspire envy, not humanity's finest aspirations. It says "I'm the monkey with the most bananas, and I live with them here above you all in this refrigerator." It isn't even enjoyable materialism; it's materialism for hungry ghosts.
Ramp road for me
ReplyDeleteI lived on Park for a short time a while ago.
DeleteRamp Road has far superior views. The shopping and the restaurants are another matter. But the fish is fresher at Ramp Road...
I completely agree Val. I am in North Carolina, right down the road from the prison that Bernie Madoff is residing. The actual area that the prison is located is a very poor county. I can see the Madoffs living in that high rise.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Val too. I would much prefer the Flying Tortoise in New Zealand, or a fishing shack on a river in Oregon.
ReplyDelete